Latest news with #RoyalThaiAirForce
Bangkok Post
an hour ago
- Bangkok Post
Thai air force debunks Cambodian bomb claim
An old bomb found in a border community in Cambodia and dug up from underground was not dropped from a Thai plane during the recent clashes, the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) said on Thursday. The Phnom Penh Post on Wednesday reported that an MK-84 bomb was found in a residential area and linked its source with the Gripen fighter jets used by the Thai air force. RTAF spokesman AVM Prapas Sonjaidee debunked the claim. The shell dug up from beneath a residence was old and rusty, he said, and clearly had not been freshly dropped. The Thai air force uses new shells in perfect condition, he said. Considering the shell's circumference and length, it could be a western bomb, weighing about 2,000 pounds, AVM Prapas said. He added that it did not look like an air-dropped bomb due to the depth and its horizontal placement. The MK-84, manufactured by US-based General Dynamics, is a 2,000-pound general-purpose aircraft bomb. It was widely used during the Vietnam war in the 1970s. The Thai air force conducted its operations with precision and never targeted civilian areas, the Special Operations Centre for Thai Cambodian Border Situations Management stated after confirming details with related agencies.
Bangkok Post
21 hours ago
- Bangkok Post
Air force tracks suspect drones in Ubon Ratchathani
The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) is investigating unknown drones detected flying near Wing 21 in Ubon Ratchathani, confirming there was no attack from them. An initial inspection report showed the drones had no cameras or other modifications, ACM Punpakdee Pattanakul, the air force commander, said on Wednesday. He said other drone activity had been detected in many areas of Bangkok, but details were still not known. They might be harmless civilian models, the commander added. Because of the security risks arising from current Thai-Cambodian border tensions, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has banned drones in a number of provinces. The ban covers Buri Ram, Chai Nat, Chanthaburi, Lop Buri, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Sawan, Phetchabun, Phichit, Prachin Buri, Sa Kaeo, Si Sa Ket, Surin, Trat and Ubon Ratchathani. The CAAT also prohibits drones within a radius of nine kilometres or five nautical miles from airports and temporary landing strips. Violators face punishment of up to one year in prison and/or up to 40,000 baht in fines.
The Diplomat
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Diplomat
Thailand, Cambodia Dispute Status of Border Ceasefire
Uncertainty surrounds the status of a ceasefire agreed by Thailand and Cambodia yesterday, with the two nations seemingly at odds as to whether their agreement was still in effect. Yesterday, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai agreed to an 'immediate and unconditional' ceasefire after more than two hours of talks hosted by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Malaysia. The agreement came into effect at midnight last night. However, just as world leaders were expressing their relief at the cessation of hostilities, the Thai army alleged this morning that Cambodia had launched attacks in multiple areas after the ceasefire was supposed to take effect, and that Thai soldiers had responded with defensive actions. 'Such actions represent a deliberate violation of the ceasefire and a serious breach of trust,' Maj. Gen. Vithai Laithomya said in a statement quoted by the Associated Press. Cambodia's government said there had been 'no armed conflict on all front lines' and that the ceasefire continued to hold. A Thai government spokesperson later said that it was gathering evidence of the Cambodian violations and would submit them in due course to Malaysia, the United States, and China, the nations that attended yesterday's meeting in Putrajaya. As the AP reported from the Thai side of the border, 'it was unclear if fighting was continuing but signs of calm returned in places. Some families displaced by the fighting began returning to their homes.' The ceasefire agreement was intended to end five days of intense fighting, which began on the morning of July 24, when fighting broke out between Cambodian and Thai soldiers close to Ta Moan Thom, an Angkorian temple close to the border between Thailand's Surin province and Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province. Clashes then erupted along other parts of the border, involving heavy weaponry, including rockets, artillery, and in the case of the Royal Thai Air Force, F-16 fighter jets. As of yesterday, the fighting had killed at least 34 people and displaced more than 270,000, as per Nikkei Asia. In a press conference yesterday announcing the agreement, Anwar said that in order to stabilize the situation, military commanders from both sides had agreed to meet at 7 a.m. today and that there will be a meeting of the bilateral General Border Committee Cambodia on August 4. Anwar said that Malaysia, as the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), 'stands ready to coordinate an observer team to verify and ensure its implementation.' The two governments also appeared to diverge on the question of whether the scheduled meeting of military commanders would take place as scheduled today. Cambodia's Defense Ministry spokesperson said that military leaders held meetings at 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. this morning, while Thai media reports suggested that the meetings were pushed back to 10 a.m. and then 'postponed indefinitely,' which one report put down to the unavailability of two Cambodian generals. Both things obviously can't be true, and by the time this article is published, the situation will likely have become clear, for better or worse. But even if the ceasefire holds, the uncertainty points to the dearth of trust and poor lines of communications between the two sides – something that poses serious challenges to the stabilization of the border region. It also suggests that a conclusive resolution of the long-running border dispute, which has its origins in disagreements over Franco-Siamese border treaties signed in 1904 and 1907, remains an extremely remote prospect. As I noted in a lengthy article yesterday, the dispute touches on deep questions of national identity that have infused contested tracts of border territory with an almost sacred status. In this context, the loss of territory, however insignificant in strategic or economic terms, is something that neither government can countenance if it wants to retain a shred of domestic legitimacy. Any final resolution of the dispute would require both Thai and Cambodian leaders to restore the mutual trust that has been all but destroyed by the conflict. It would then require them to muster the political will to initiate border demarcation efforts and the political capital to make compromises on core nationalist demands. In the absence of any of these conditions, the two governments may well find that there is more political utility in an unsettled border than in a conclusively demarcated one.
Bangkok Post
2 days ago
- Bangkok Post
Thailand's Gripen fighters first ever to be used in actual combat
When the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) deployed JAS 39C/D Gripen fighter jets in strikes against Cambodia on July 26, it was the first time the Swedish built warplane had ever been used in combat The jets were used against Cambodian artillery firing on Thai positions along their disputed border. Two Gripen jets flew alongside Thailand's older F-16 Fighting Falcons. The mission was said to have been successful, with all aircraft returning safely to base. The Gripen was developed by Sweden's Saab AB under the 'Smart Fighter' concept and is designed for network-centric warfare. It can seamlessly integrate with the radar systems, ground stations and other aircraft used in real-time operations. Since first integrated into the RTAF fleet in 2011, Thailand's Gripens had until July 26 been used exclusively for training exercises, air shows and border patrol. The Gripen is also flown by the Czech Republic, Brazil, Hungary and South Africa, but it was the first time the jets have been used in real combat anywhere in the world. The Gripen was chosen for its advanced technology, multi-role capability and ability to operate from short runways and small airfields - giving it agility and strategic versatility on the battlefield.
AFP
3 days ago
- Politics
- AFP
Old military exercise photo misrepresented as Thailand-Cambodia clashes
"Thailand launches AIR STRIKES on Cambodian military targets," reads a post shared July 25, 2025 on X that features the photo. Image Screenshot of the false post captured July 28, 2025, with a red 'X' added by AFP Similar posts also ricocheted on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube as the bloodiest military clashes in more than a decade erupted between Thailand and Cambodia (archived link). At least 35 people have been killed and more than 200,000 displaced since the dramatic escalation in hostilities between the neighbouring countries over their jungle-clad frontier, which is home to a smattering of contested ancient temples. Both sides began discussing a ceasefire on July 28 at the residence of Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim, serving chair of the ASEAN bloc of which Thailand and Cambodia are members. However, a reverse image search of keyframes on Google traced the picture to a Facebook post from the Thai Royal Air Force on June 16, 2025, weeks before fighting started (archived link). "Images of the collaboration between the strong air forces of Thailand and Indonesia through the mixed drills," reads part of the caption, adding that the exercise took place from June 9 to 19. "Both countries' air forces took to the skies above southern Esan," it goes on to say, referring to the northwestern region of Thailand. Image Screenshot of the Royal Thai Air Force post taken July 28, 2025, with the picture highlighted by AFP The Royal Thai Air Force also published a press release on its official website about the conclusion of the joint air drills with Indonesia on June 20, 2025 (archived link). Matching visuals -- including the aircraft images and the logo -- can also be seen in a June 19 article about the joint Thai-Indonesian air drill on a dedicated blog (archived link). AFP has debunked more misinformation on the Thailand-Cambodia dispute here, here and here.
